If you ever thought that “playing mas” was exclusive to the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Port of Spain, Nothing Hill, Brooklyn or Miami, you were mistaken. There are masqueraders sitting in church pews everywhere. If you are sitting in church reading this, it is quite likely that there a masquerader or two sitting next to you.
Men, women and children participate in carnival celebrations all over the world. They disguise themselves in masks and costumes that conceal their true identity and give them the opportunity to pretend to be someone else. They engage in behaviors that are appropriate for the city streets but when the carnival days are over, it is back to life as usual.
Carnival masqueraders are not alone. There is another type of masquerader that sets aside various days of the week to enter into the house of the Lord wearing a mask of righteousness. The Bible describes them as:
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 2 Timothy 3:4-6
They sing and praise the Lord on Sunday but return to the way of the world on Monday.
In St. Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells the parable of the man who attended the marriage feast which the king prepared for his son. The people whom he chose to invite to the celebration turned down his invitation. These wealthy people were too busy paying attention to their businesses and the accumulation of wealth.
Needless to say, the king was disappointed that the people he invited to the wedding feast turned down his invitation. As a result, he extended the invitation to anyone who would accept it.
When the king came to “see” the guests who had accepted his invitation, he immediately recognized one man who “had not on the wedding garment”. The bible tells us that he said to the man: “……Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless” (Matthew 22:12)
Is it possible that people like this man exist today? Are there people who accept the invitation to come into the house of the Lord but are unable or unwilling to relinquish the old garment for the “wedding garment”?
Are there people in the church who practice a “form of godliness” that is superficial and unrelated to God? Some of us clap hands and rejoice, pay our tithes faithfully, some can quote the bible from cover to cover, and yet others devote their time towards working in the church. All these things are commendable but God requires a heart to heart relationship with him.
In Matthew 7:21 Jesus tells His disciples: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven.” Jesus made it very clear that not all those who accept His invitation and call upon his name will enter into His kingdom.
When his invitation is accepted he expects people to surrender their lives to do His will. Lives must change drastically since we cannot serve Him and continue to serve the world. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
We cannot fool God. The apostle Paul reminded the church at Corinth: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5
When the Lord comes he expects to find that those who accepted the gospel would have relinquished the things of the world and would be wearing garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness as stated in Isaiah 61:10: The Lord alone knows what’s in our hearts and whether we are worthy to sit at the wedding feast with Him.
It is dangerous to become too busy with the cares of this life or mesmerized by the pleasures of sin. The coming of the Lord may creep up on us just as the Flood did in Noah's day. Matthew 24:44 tells us: “ Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
Are you ready for that day or would you be surprised, unprepared and speechless as this man was? Jesus gave this advice to his disciples and it is still valid today: "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." Luke 21:34.
This man was masquerading in the house of the king just as some people today are masquerading in the house of the Lord. Some of us are doing all the superficial things that appear to be pleasing to God but everyday life is ruled by the materialism and carnality of the world.
We can fool the people but we cannot fool God. We cannot live by the works of the flesh and expect to be rewarded at the wedding feast. Our good works cannot mask the dark secrets of our hearts so don’t wait until the Lord returns to be caught by surprise.
All masqueraders in the house of the Lord will be unmasked. Good works on the outside that are not complimented by good thoughts on the inside will not secure a seat for anyone at the wedding feast.
Our lives could collapse before the eyes of everyone; family members, friends, those against whom we wielded the power of position, and those whom we stomped upon. While they remain seated to eat and drink, we could be cast out and destroyed.
The Lord is still saying that whosoever wants to come and eat let them come. Whosoever wants to come and drink let them come. There is no discrimination on the grounds of religious belief, wealth or poverty, education or lack of it. If you are hungry and thirsty, please come to eat and drink.
There is one condition that must be fulfilled before you can begin to eat and drink. Those who accept the invitation must disarm themselves. They must lay down their weapons; the weapons of spite, grudges, envy, hate, vindictiveness, hypocrisy and evil speaking. These weapons are useless in the house of the Lord as they only bring pain and discomfort to others. Failure to disarm yourself will result in you being removed and destroyed just as the man in the parable.
I believe that like that king, the Lord is now here to “see” his guests. He is not interested in how much wealth his guests have accumulated for he is the giver of wealth. He is not interested in grand performance for he is the author of praise and worship. He is not interested in religious activities if these are not directed by his word which is written upon our hearts. All he requires is that we prepare our hearts for taking up our positions at the dinner table in the kingdom of the Lord. Those who are not prepared will be evicted.
This message is for those who are sitting in the house of the Lord masquerading in unbecoming garments. What may appear to be acceptable to the world and simultaneously pleasing to God will leave many of us speechless in the presence of the King. God requires the best from us.
We are past the midnight hour and dawn is about to break. Would this new day find all of us occupying a guaranteed seat in the house of the Lord? If you are wearing a mask, remove it and end the masquerade now! Put away the darkness and “oldness” of the world and enter into a new era of life in a kingdom where all wealth is laid up for you.
